Chess Puzzle #LiupX — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Position

White: king g1; queen c3; rooks a8/d1; bishop b2; knight c6; pawns f2/g4/h3. Black: king h8; queen e7; rooks e6/f8; bishop g6; knight d6; pawns c5/c7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Qf7 — queen e7→f7. Now White to move.
2. Best move: Qxg7+ — queen c3→g7, captures pawn, gives check. Opponent replies Qxg7 (queen f7→g7, captures queen).
3. Best move: Rxf8# — rook a8→f8, captures rook, delivers checkmate.

Tactical themes

master, mate, mate in 2, middlegame, pin, sacrifice, short. The combination ends with Rxf8# delivering checkmate.

Position data

FEN: R4r1k/2p1q1pp/2Nnr1b1/2p5/6P1/2Q4P/1B3P2/3R2K1 b - - 2 28

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